The latest newbuilding from the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, the cruise ship “Asuka III”, is due to leave the shipyard’s covered building dock 2 this weekend – at 10:00 am on Saturday.
The 230.2 metres long and 29.8-metre wide cruise ship with the construction number S 721, which is being built for the Japanese shipping company NYK Cruises, is then expected to be transferred from the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg to the North Sea at the beginning of March.
This information comes from a public announcement by the Lower Saxony State Agency for Water Management, Coastal Defence and Nature Conservation (NLWKN), as the Emssperrwerk in Gandersum will be closed for this purpose in order to dam up the river until 3 March 2025. As these Ems passages are also always dependent on the respective weather conditions, a concrete transfer schedule for the Ems passage of the “Asuka III” will only be available at very short notice.
The contract to build the LNG-powered “Asuka III” with a tonnage of 52,200 GT, which is fully designed for the Japanese travel market, was awarded to the now partially nationalised Meyer Werft in the midst of the Corona pandemic as one of the few construction contracts awarded during this time.
Meyer received order during the coronavirus pandemic
“The order from NYK Cruises in 2021 in the middle of the pandemic was a strong signal for shipbuilding in Papenburg. We are therefore delighted to have won NYK Cruises as a customer and to be able to ring in the construction of this modern cruise ship,” explained Managing Director Thomas Weigend in September 2023 during the first steel cutting for the ship.
As part of the undocking manoeuvre, the funnel designed in the shipping company’s colours will also be placed on the newbuilding in front of the covered building dock using a crane. After undocking, the cruise ship will then be moved to the shipyard’s fitting-out pier, which should take place within the next few weeks. Outside the building dock, the new LNG ship will then also receive the funnel, which is already at the shipyard. The NYK newbuild is expected to spend a few more weeks in the shipyard harbour before being transferred to the Ems.

Handover in Yokohama
After the Ems transfer, the ship will undergo further outfitting work either in Emden or in Eemshaven in the Netherlands, followed by sea trials on the North Sea. The official handover of the ship with home port Yokohama to NYK Cruises is planned for the spring so that the ship can be transferred to Japan in time for the start of operations. There is space on board for 744 passengers in 385 cabins and suites, and the ship also carries up to 470 crew members.
Meyer Werft has implemented numerous customised solutions for the new Japanese cruise ship, which is unlikely to have a sister ship. These include hydrodynamics optimised according to the planned routes, contactless controls and onboard facilities adapted to the needs of Japanese passengers. The ship will be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG).